Rules and Exceptions
by TheBestEver222
Summary: "I expected you to be there! You said that's what friends do! And we were friends! ...weren't we? Weren't we at least friends? Or was it…was it a lie, when you said that? Was it just a lie...? Or am I...just an exception?" Mostly just Rin being depressing and ranty, but has a little BonRin in there.


**_Hey guys! I have another Blue Exorcist oneshot for ya! You see, I should be writing a story about the Roman god Pluto for my Latin class that's due tomorrow, but I'm a procrastinator, so I edited and posted this instead! Can't you tell that I have my priorities straight? I bet you're glad that I don't. Also, this is not a part of my "Of Tired Demons and Death Threats" series, because those oneshots are on crack and this one is way serious. If you haven't read my "Of Tired Demons and Death Threats" series, what the hell are you doing with your life? Obviously not the right thing. You should read those._**

 ** _P.S. I have no idea where the ending came from, but ya know what? I don't care. It's fabulous._**

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

Getting through classes at the exorcist school was becoming increasingly difficult for Rin. Everyone had been on edge since they'd found out he was a demon, and it wasn't exactly easy to pretend that everything was normal when they all stared at him like he was going to set them on fire at any moment. Yukio was the only light in the seemingly-endless, dark path that he walked, but even the reprieve his brother's presence offered was dampened by the ever-present weight settled both on his shoulders and in his chest. Even when he was away from the fearfully whispered words and now-standoffish tendencies of his classmates and former friends, the memory of them still echoed in his mind, creating wounds just as raw and painful as when the events happened in person.

The worst of them was Bon. The boy who had been so adamant about Rin accepting help from his "friends" was now acting as though Rin was some wild animal, a creature that would snap and end them all in an instant. Had this not been what Bon had wanted? Of course, the way he'd found out wasn't exactly ideal, but hadn't he said that friends were supposed to be there for each other? Hadn't he said that opening up and sharing secrets in hopes of being helped was something that came with forming friendships?

Had Bon been _lying_? Or was Rin's secret simply too great, too _horrific_ , that all previously stated rules of friendship were now considered null and void? Was his case an exception to the rule? In Rin's defense, he'd always thought exceptions were stupid. Why have rules if there were certain situations or people that found themselves outside of the obligation of following them? They shouldn't be consider rules at all, then, but merely often occurring coincidences. Somehow, thinking of his situation as simply something that didn't occur often enough for a pattern to be acknowledged didn't make Rin feel any better.

"Rin!" He snapped to attention at Yukio's shout. He hadn't meant to blank out, but with all his emotions buzzing beneath his skin like molten lava-blood in his veins, it was a bit difficult.

Yukio stared down at him, expression stern and demanding Rin's full attention. He knew the only reason his brother was acting this way was because he was a teacher and Rin was his student, but Rin just got caught up in the rage and utter despair that seemed to overtake his very core at the soft murmurings and frightened stares that he could hear and feel from his fellow exwires. Yukio being there wasn't helping. Rin loved his brother, he really did, but he couldn't help but be struck by the realization that Yukio, in that moment, looked so entirely ordinary and _human_ , and that made him mad.

It wasn't fair! Why did Yukio get to be normal? Why didn't anyone fear his brother like they feared him? Why was it that they were both sons of Satan, and yet he was the only one being treated like a lowly demon? It just wasn't _fair_.

"Yukio," Rin managed to ground out through clenched teeth. "May I be excused?"

The words felt so strange on his tongue, far too formal, and yet they were all he could get out.

"What?" Yukio looked a bit surprised that he'd spoken, but Rin didn't care.

"May I be excused?" Rin asked again, and before he could even process his lips moving, he was uttering a strained, " _Please_."

"Uh, yes, of course," Yukio said quickly, recovering. "I'll need to write you a pa-"

But Rin was already out the door. He clutched the strap of his sword sheath tightly in his hand, trying to keep calm. His emotions were at war with one another, and he couldn't tell whether it was anger or sadness that was welling in his eyes and threatening to spill over on to his cheeks.

He didn't make it far, just a few right turns, before he found that it was anger burning at he back of his eyes and struck a wall as hard as he could with his fist. He left a sizable dent, and his hand was in pretty bad shape, until his healing powers kicked in and molded it back into perfection, leaving behind nothing but a faint tingling sensation in the place of pain. The sight only served to further enrage him, and in a bout of smoldering indignation – a wild, uncontainable fury – he clamped down on the soft flesh of his palm with teeth like razor sharp pieces of shattered glass.

The pain lasted for only a short moment, and then it was gone, skin growing and stretching to cover the wound. His own blood served as the only proof that there had ever been an injury in the first place. While frozen and staring at his bloodied hand, it didn't take long for him to notice the tears on his face, but it took until he was slumped against the wall and sliding slowly to ground for him to realize that he cried out of sadness. Emotions were such strange things. They could switch places in an instant, and without any real reason. And, apparently, they were terribly, terribly fragile.

He felt fragile then, and broken, and he didn't like it. What a dumb way to feel. What right did he, as a demon, have to feel this way? Feelings and emotions, weren't they something that only humans could experience? Weren't humans the only ones allowed to feel sad? Weren't humans the only ones allowed to feel indignant? Weren't humans the only ones allowed to lie, or make mistakes, or feel lonely, or cry, or have _friends_? That's sure what it felt like to Rin.

They all said, "It all depends on your actions and what you do in life, because no one can help what they are so much as who they are," but it was all just a bunch of bullshit, really, because Rin hadn't done anything to earn his friends fear and mistrust except for be a demon. What they meant was, "It all depends on your actions and what you do in life so long as you're normal and human and not scary-looking."

Yukio fit into the category of "normal and human and not scary-looking" quite easily, and with a heavy heart, Rin realized that he'd never really fit there, even when he'd seemed human. He wanted to hate Yukio, and he wanted to blame him for everything, but he couldn't. It wasn't Yukio's fault, and he couldn't hate his brother because Yukio was all he had, and he was his little brother that he needed and wanted to protect with his life. But then who was there to blame for this? Satan? His mother? His dad? His friends? Himself?

The tears came faster, and they felt warm against his cheeks. Sobs were bubbling up within him without his permission, and he was helpless to stop them from escaping. He was a mess, blubbering like he had a reason to be upset. Shouldn't he have expected their rejection? He supposed he did, but it stung all the same. Why couldn't his powers make this pain go away, too? Why couldn't they heal his broken heart?

"Okumura?" Bon. What the hell was he doing there? What right did he have to intrude on Rin's private mental breakdown?

He didn't lift his head from where it was pressed against his forearms resting on his knees and clenched his teeth to keep his sobs at least quiet. He refused to look at Bon, especially like this.

"Are you pouting?" Bon chuckled. He _actually_ chuckled. He didn't understand this feeling, he just didn't _understand_. "What? Did we hurt your feelings in class or somethin'?"

Rin was up and slamming Bon against the wall with a vicious snarl before either knew what was happening. If they wanted to treat him like an animal, then he'd _act_ like one.

"You _asshole_." The anger was back, burning hotter than ever and only getting hotter. "You are such a-a- I don't even have _words_ to describe what you are!"

His skin felt hot, like a fire was raging beneath his flesh, just waiting to burst free. There was something shining in Bon's eyes, fear or anger, but Rin couldn't tell which. "You tell me you're my friend, that I can _trust_ you, that I need to learn to rely on you more!" His voice rose to a volume that he didn't even know was achievable until then. "And then, when I expect you to be there to catch me, when I need you the _most_ , you take three steps back and let me be driven right into the ground!" He wanted to punch him, to do something, but his body wouldn't comply, so he just settled on tightening his hold on the collar of Bon's shirt.

"I expected you to be there! You said that's what friends do! And we were friends!" Something in him shifted, and his wrath dwindled off, turning into sadness. "…weren't we? Weren't we at least friends? Or was it…was it a lie, when you said that?" Rin loosened his grip, dropping his eyes from Bon's and slumping his shoulders. His head fell forward, his chin only stopped from meeting his collarbone by his forehead falling against Bon's chest. "Was it just a lie…?" His eyes crinkled and his hands clenched fabric once again, though not as roughly. "Or am I...just an exception?"

Tears fell again, dripping to the floor like fat raindrops. How pathetic, crying in front of the person who used to be his friend. The person that he had wanted to be _more_ than a friend.

Rin let go of Bon's shirt and pushed away, turning to face the opposite wall. Tears continue to drip down his face, but he pretended they weren't there. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… Are you okay?"

There was silence for a minute, and then, "Peachy."

Rin gave a soft laugh, salty tears leaking into his mouth and reminding him of the taste of sea air. "I really am a…demon, aren't I?"

"Yeah…" Bon answered truthfully, and Rin huddled in on himself. "But I've seen butterflies scarier than you."

Rin's lips quirked upward in an almost-smile as he said, "See a lot of scary butterflies, do ya?"

"No, not particularly," Bon replied. "You're just fiercely un-intimidating."

"Yeah, that'd be m-" Rin made a noise somewhere between a hiccup and sob, effectively cutting his sentence short. He picked at the drying blood on his hand, trying to pull himself together but ultimately failing. Sobs continued to burst from his throats even as he tried to laugh them off as nothing. His shoulders shook, and he tried to physically pull himself together.

"Okumura, don't…" Bon just sighed, and Rin heard the other boy shuffle around behind him before an arm was wrapped around his shoulders.

He froze at the touch, not having expected it. Then, more tears erupted from him, faster than he would have ever thought possible, and he flung himself at Bon. It felt so good to be able to hug someone, to be able to let out all these emotions and have someone there that would comfort him. He imagined that if he had told Yukio how he'd been feeling, his brother would offer the comfort he craved, but Rin had difficultly explaining his emotions in words. It had taken him having a breakdown and Bon's insults for him to say the things he had, and even they weren't much. If Yukio had been the one to find him, he thought that things would have gone quite differently.

With his head tucked beneath Bon's chin, it was hard to imagine that they weren't at least friends, but Rin had to make sure.

"Bon…?" Rin asked after a moment.

Bon made a noise of acknowledgement, though it really just made it sound like he was trying exceptionally hard to keep his cool. His tensed muscles weren't helping to deter that theory.

"Are we…" He wasn't sure if he could bring himself to ask the question, but he trudged on anyway. "Are we…friends, again?"

The tension seemed to drain from Bon then, and the boy's chin came to rest on the top of Rin head as his arms wrapped around him in a hug. "Yeah, Rin. We're friends again."

Rin nodded against him, brushing away a stray tear from his cheek on Bon's shirt. "I'm not an exception, then?"

"No. There aren't any exceptions."

"Can I…make an exception?" Rin asked hesitantly. He could practically feel Bon's confusion.

"I mean… Why would you want to?"

"It's just a question."

"Sure then, I guess." Rin nodded again, and he pulled away from their embrace. And then, so quickly he hardly had time to think about the consequences of his actions, he planted a kiss on Bon's lips and ducked away.

No one said anything for a very long time, and Rin noted that Bon's cheeks looked as red as his own felt. Then, just when Rin was beginning to think he'd taken it too far after he'd _just_ gotten his friend back, Bon said, "Okumura…"

"Huh?"

"How many exceptions can there be to a rule before it's no longer considered a rule?" Rin smiled at that, and Bon smiled back.

"I think you can have as many as you want. I don't think there are rules for exceptions, and if there are, this'll just be an exception."

"Okumura?"

"Yeah?"

"Just shut up and kiss me again."

"Okay."

Rin would worry about Yukio's scoldings for running off and about patching things up with everyone else later. For now, he would simply enjoy this little exception. Perhaps they weren't all quite as bad as he'd thought.


End file.
